Why
do these types of motivational speeches only seem to come before football
games?
In “Georgia Tech
Football: Time to Turn the Yellow Jackets Loose!” Derrick Moore delivered a short but effective
motivational speech. It so happens to be that motivational speeches delivered
with such enthusiasm and energy tend to only happen before football games because
football coaches know that what they say to their players prior to the running,
sweating and intense action on the field may very well determine the quality at
which the players will strive to win. When delivering a speech like Moore’s,
coaches consider the nerves, emotions and states of mind of their players.
It is well known that
before a major event is when peoples nerves start to set in. Even though one
has been working forever in preparation for that big event there is no way to
avoid nervousness. It is just part of the human nature. Unless we learn to
project it in the right direction, it often tends to make us have second
thoughts and sometimes hinders us from performing to our full potential. Moore
understands that. He knows that what he says to his players before the game and
not after is what really matters. He knows that his ability to settle the
nerves and raise the competitive urge in the hearts and minds of his players will
determine how they approach the game and in turn, how they finish it.
Moore appeals to his players emotions
by emphasizing how important family is. “There’s nothing like family. At the
end of the day, when sun sets, that’s all you have. Ultimately, that’s all you
need.” Family is there through the thick and thin, always has ones back and is
supporting no matter what-at least that’s what they say. Moore therefore implies that when his boys go out on the
field that night, they are going to do their best. Not to impress him, the
crowd or anybody else who doesn’t matter. They are going to do their best for their
brothers on the team. For that is their family and if your family has your
back, you better have theirs too.
Moore also uses the
rhetorical style of language to his advantage. “A bunch of brothers bleed and
sweat together, fought through summer, all the lifting and running, for moments
like these…” He uses words like ‘brothers’, ‘bleed’, ‘fought’, ‘together’ to
show the players that what they went through in the summer was a team effort
and what they are going to do on the field is a team effort. And for that
reason, they are not going to win that game for anyone but each other. Those
same words hold strong connotations too. That causes a rise of emotion in the
players and gets their blood pumping, ready for what is to come on the field.
In conclusion, the
overall tone of this speech is very passionate. Moore clearly knows that
calming the nerves, rousing the emotions and positively affecting the states of
mind of his players will do the trick that will lead them to playing a great
game. These kind of motivational speeches only seem to come before football
games because if given to other people-young/old- in other situations in the
same manner, the hospitals would probably be in business because of all the
people taken there due to high blood pressure
